Ishpeming residents advised to boil water

January 3, 2013

ISHPEMING - Ishpeming residents are advised to boil their water because of a water main leak.

Residents on Ready Street east of Seventh Street, Marquette Street and lower Davis Street are under a water boil advisory until noon Saturday. Any water intended for human consumption should be boiled for about five minutes prior to consumption.

The Ishpeming City Department of Public Works received a report New Year's Day that residents were experiencing loss of water pressure, said Jon Kangas, DPW superintendent. The location of the leak wasn't determined until noon Wednesday, he said.

"The leak was in the middle of a swamp and there was bedrock surrounding the pipe, so we had to do some jack hammering to get to it," Kangas said.

According to Kangas, when a pipe is sitting on bedrock any movement can cause a pressure point on the pipe causing a leak to occur. Repairs were completed by about 6 a.m. today.

"According to the foreman, this is one of the worse leaks he's seen in his career here, and he's been here for about 20 years now," Kangas said.

Before the boiling advisory can be lifted, the DPW has to receive two clean water samples, Kangas said, meaning they have to be bacteria free. One will be taken today with the results back Friday, and the other will be taken Friday with the result back on Saturday.

"We've never had a sample not come back clean," Kangas said. "But the boiling advisory is a precautionary measure we have to take just in case for the health of our residents."

Discolored water may be experienced, and the the DPW recommends residents flush their plumbing systems for several minutes to purge the discolored water from it.

Any questions or issues regarding prolonged loss of water pressure should be directed to the DPW by calling 486-9371.